Attitudes Toward Managing Latent TB Infection in Primary Care Jonathan Carey Jackson, M.D. Harborview Medical Center, WA Attitudes Toward Managing Latent TB Infection in Primary Care Investigators Carey Jackson, M.D., M.P.H., M.A. Stacey Bryant, R.N. University of Washington Refugee and Immigrant Health Promotion Program Jenny Pang, M.D., M.P.H. Public Health-- Seattle & King County Wanda Walton Ph.D., M.Ed. Nick De Luca, Ph.D. Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, CDC 1of 8
Collaborators Jessie Wing, M.D., Hawaii State Department of Health John Bernardo, M.D., Massachusetts Department of Health Ximena Urrutia Rojas, Ph.D. & Steve Weis D.O., University of North Texas at Fort Worth Edward A. Chow, M.D., Chinese Community Health Care Association in San Francisco, CA Glen Pacio, M.D., Filipino American Physicians of Washington State Masae Kawamura, M.D., San Francisco Dept. of Public Health, TB Control Jeffrey B. Caballero, M.P.H., Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations in Orange County, CA & Honolulu, HI Masa Narita, M.D., Public Health Seattle & King County Nan Hu, M.Sc., Department of Biostatistics, University of Utah, School of Medicine Main Objectives To determine TB knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of primary care clinicians who serve foreign-born populations at risk for TB To identify practice features that facilitate or obstruct the management of latent TB infection To determine if an educational intervention increases adherence to CDC recommendations Study Sites 6 regions, 7 sites Honolulu Seattle (FAPWA, HMC) San Francisco Orange County Dallas-Fort Worth Boston 2of 8
Study Sites 6 regions, 7 sites Honolulu Seattle (FAPWA, HMC) San Francisco Orange County Dallas-Fort Worth Boston
Target Audiences Clinicians serving Mexicans Filipinos Vietnamese Chinese Eligibility Criteria Primary care providers: family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, women s healthcare > 25% of patients are foreign born > 3 years of clinical experience > 1 year experience at current practice site No employment with Public Health Other Factors Preventing LTBI Testing and Treatment TB Clinic rarely communicates with us. I don t have a way to track PPDs, or if patients are compliant taking INH. Patients won t take INH for 9 months. The guidelines are confusing, and constantly changing. 3of 8
Factors Preventing LTBI Testing and Treatment I have too many patients, and too little time to address this. I ll lose money. Well the TB skin test, I didn t routinely do on Medicare age people, unless they are going to nursing home. Because, there is no reimbursement for home-aide care for TB placement unless they have specific symptoms, if they have weight loss, and stuff like that, then we check it. But we cannot do it for just routine physical. Whereas other insurance, we can still do it as a routine physical, they reimburse; Medicare doesn t reimburse Medi-Cal, I don t think they reimburse, that s even worse than Medicare. San Francisco, Private Practice Physician Phase 2 Methods 10-14 Primary care providers from each site A pre-intervention survey of 124 items 30 demographic items 15 epidemiological items 33 definition, testing & treatment items 56 attitude items 1 hour didactic intervention on latent TB management among the foreign born delivered by the regional TB control officer A post-intervention survey of 105 items delivered 2-4 weeks following the intervention Results: Demographics N = 80 Age: 47.5 years, 11.1 standard deviation (S.D.) Gender: 39% female Age at Immigration: (N = 58) 24.7 years, 12.4 S.D. Country of Origin: USA: 22 China: 14 Philippines: 8 Vietnam: 20 Taiwan: 3 Other: 13 4of 8
Results: Demographics (2) Job Title: MD 57 (72.2%) DO 4 (5.1%) ARNP/RN 11 (14.0 %) Other 7 (8.9 %) Years in current position: 17.43, 10.4 S.D. Results: Demographics (3) Practice Type: PRIVATE Solo/Group Practice 36 (46.8%) PUBLIC (community clinic or public hospital): 39 (50.6%) Other 2 (2.6%) Results: Demographics (4) Residency: Internal Medicine 25 (40.3%) Pediatrics 9 (14.5 %) Family Medicine 23 (37.1%) Other 5 ( 8.1%) 5of 8
Results: Demographics (5) TB Training: YES 43 (55.1%) Med School 13 (24.1%) Residency 5 (9.3%) CDC 3 (5.6%) Cont. Ed 5 (9.3%) Other 2 (3.7%) Multiple 15 (46.3%) Results: Demographics (6) # Pts./8 hr day: 20.23, 5.09 Standard Error (S.E.) %Ti Time in Pt. Care: 70.68% % Foreign Born Patients: 60.3% TSTs/month: 19.7, 17.7 S.E. % TST +: 28.3% 6of 8
Factors Preventing LTBI Testing and Treatment (2) TB is very rare so LTBI screening is not critical. But, it s pretty much in my opinion, a waste of money, because I might find 1 out of 200. I would have to screen 200 people before I would find one case. And, most patients would not I would have to do it as a freebie, cause they re not going to pay for that it costs me about $5.00 for a test. Dallas, Private Practice Physician Factors Preventing LTBI Testing and Treatment (3) I have too many patients, and too little time to address this. I ll lose money. Firstly, the BCG does muddy the water. Second, it depends on the age group. If they are already over 35 with a positive PPD, next is the chest x-ray. If they don t have any symptoms or problems, do you do a PPD? Even if it s positive you expect the chest (film) to return negative, you re not going to do anything anyway. So, why do you want a PPD in the first place? And if you expect something in the chest x-ray, why don t you do that in the first place? If they don t have pulmonary symptoms and they are fine, you re not going to preventatively treat them anyway, then why are you going through the procedure if you re not going to do anything different? I think that s wasting money, OK? San Francisco, Private Practice Physician 7of 8
Factors Preventing LTBI Testing and Treatment (4) Q: If you didn t have to do a two step process but a single blood test, what would you think of that? A: Well, that s a great improvement of course. But it still boils down to what is the significance? How does it affect your management of the old 89 year old lady who s asymptomatic, (with a negative) chest x-ray? San Francisco, Private Practice Physician Conclusions There are many features of primary care that impact screening and management of LTBI beyond the knowledge of guidelines Practice size, type, and the consequent resources contribute to a physicians capacity to track and manage LTBI in a busy primary care practice Private practice physicians are less familiar with current guidelines for treatment, and more concerned about insurance, and reimbursement for the care they provide than salaried public sector clinicians Educational interventions can improve knowledge of guidelines, but may have little impact on attitudes toward their implementation Future interventions should consider different approaches to different practice setting and address priority concerns beyond education 8of 8